Sheffield Crown Court: Brain-injured man stabbed a neighbour in chest with broken golf club in bust-up

Sheffield Crown Court heard on July 22 how Tony Brunt, aged 43, of Langdon Walk, Kimberworth Park, Rotherham, had initially been punched by the complainant who pursued Brunt with a metal bar before the defendant armed himself with a golf club and stabbed him.

Megan Rhys, prosecuting, said Brunt and the complainant, from the same estate, had been drinking and socialising with their partners when the complainant twice punched Brunt and armed himself with a metal bar before the defendant armed himself with a golf club to fend him off.

Ms Rhys added: “The head of the club fell off during the incident and the defendant used the golf club to fend off the complainant causing injury with one single stab wound to the chest.”

As the complainant found help from a couple at another house, Brunt went to this property with the golf club and a spanner and threatened him.

The court heard police and paramedics were called and the complainant was taken to hospital bleeding and struggling to breathe after he had suffered a punctured lung.

Brunt, who has spent nine months remanded in custody and has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to causing unlawful wounding, affray, and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon after the incident in November, 2021.

Defence barrister Brendan O’Leary said: “The defendant, aged 18, suffered a significant brain injury through no fault of his own. The defendant is someone who suffered widespread brain damage. Following that brain injury there was a marked change in his personality.”

Mr O’Leary said Brunt’s offending is most likely linked to his bran injury with alcohol being a factor but he has expressed genuine remorse.

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC acknowledged Brunt had initially acted in self-defence but he had over-stepped the mark and caused a potentially life-threatening injury.

He also recognised the impact of Brunt’s brain injury upon his personality before sentencing him to 18 months of custody suspended for two years.

Judge Richardson told Brunt: “You transformed from a perfectly normal and reasonable individual to a man with a short fuse as a result of frontal lobe damage to your brain.”